


I Could Bring Them Back

by thelastmermaid



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-06
Updated: 2014-01-06
Packaged: 2018-01-07 19:01:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1123272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelastmermaid/pseuds/thelastmermaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world in burning, and Ororo has to make a choice. Join the Phoenix, or let the world keep burning. </p>
<p>Should read 'Oh, the Fun we'd Have' first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Could Bring Them Back

The bricks of the vast building crumbled, and she could hear them falling to the ground from the opposite wing of the mansion. It’s been years since the institute has been in its prime. Ororo couldn’t remember the last time the walls had been redone, the windows fixed, or the roof even looked at. It’s been just as long since this building had electricity or oil for heat. It’s been even longer for this mansion to have more than a handful of scavengers living in it, and so so much longer since it felt like home.

The estate if the mansion was just as bad. Once beautiful with lushes green grass, and breathtakingly bright flowers were gone. All that remained were patches of a forgotten natural beauty. Mother Nature did it’s best to reclaim her land that had been burned to smolders not so long ago. The people that Ororo used to live with and love have long been gone. They had died of either old age or murdered, and very few had escaped for someplace that could have been a lot saver. She was the only one left on the estate, she was the only one that didn’t run when the fire came.

And she had known it would eventually.

The Phoenix may be patient, but even while haunting Ororo in Jean’s body, she got bored.

And the whole world burned.

And it was her fault. All of the death, Kitty, Betsy, Laura, Gambit, Logan, Jubilee and so so many more. It was all her fault. Ororo knew, every single day that if she has just given in, and let go like the Phoenix had wanted, they all could still be alive.

And they only reason Ororo hadn’t done what the Phoenix had asked was because Kitty had asked her not too. With those big beautiful brown eyes she had said, while the world burned and that fought; ‘Don’t you dare do it, Ororo.’ And when finally Ororo had turned to look at her, Kitty had managed to come closer and hug her in the middle of if all. ‘You’re the closest thing I have to a mom, and I can’t you turning into that. You’re too good.’

And Ororo fought, and she kept fighting, even after all of her friends fell.

But now things were quiet, and Ororo sat on the floor of the ruined kitchen. The old island was falling apart, but even so she remembered all of the late nights she had spent there with her friends, drinking hidden bottles of beer or eating ice cream. With nimble fingers, she picked through the open can. There was nothing left to eat. She wouldn’t let her grow anything to eat, so she picked at the five year old can of peaches. After popping a piece of fruit into her mouth, lips chapped and hurting, everything went quiet, and the weather witch felt the air around her change.

She chewed slowly while she listened to the light sound of footsteps across the floor, and finally, the Phoenix stood in front of her. It wasn’t uncommon for her to come visit, in fact, there were days when Ororo welcomed it. It was a familiar face in a world of fire and rain.

"You could end all of this."

"Everyone I love is dead, and soon, I will join them."

"Only if I allow it."

"Are you really that lonely?"

"Since the creation of the universe, Ororo. Please," she held out her hand for Ororo to take. "Join me and I promise I will bring everyone back."

How many lives could she save? How much pain could she prevent by agreeing to this? Her eyes lingered on the Phoenix’s hand, and after what seemed like hours to Ororo, she reached out and took the Phoenix's hand. 

Her face lit up with pure bliss, and the Phoenix pulled Ororo up to her feet in a smooth swift motion. Ororo would have stayed were she was, demanded that she fixed things, that she brought her friends back, but the Phoenix pulled Ororo closer, tugging the white haired weather goddess against her and pressed a kiss against her. The Phoenix let go of Ororo's hand, wrapped a hand around her waist, while the other one went into her hair. 

Ororo froze, hands at her sides while she felt the fire lick at her flesh. It was warm and cold at the same yet, and Ororo was shocked that the temperature effect her. She shivered at the realization and the Phoenix pulled Ororo closer, pressing their bodies together. 

And finally, Ororo gave in. Closing her eyes, she felt the world spin around her, and after a gentle nudge from the Phoenix, let the woman in. Ororo felt and heard everything, and not just fleeting thoughts of the Phoenix and how happy she finally was but she heard the world, felt all of those urges from a million miles away, and suddenly it was gone.   
Instead, she felt her powers reach and expand. Ororo felt the air of the arctic, the way the wings of a butterfly moved the air in Africa, and the deepest corners of the oceans, and it drove her higher and higher into elation. 

And unbeknown to Ororo, to focused was she on the sensations of her powers, time moved around them. She increased the force of the wind around the butterfly and propelled it higher, she reached out further, felt the solar flares of the sun and pulled that heat closer. The ice of the arctic began to melt faster, and a majority of an undiscovered species of organisms died. Even with the roof above their heads protecting them, Ororo felt the rain beating down against the earth, felt the clouds swirl above them in response to her sorrow at the death of a species.

Phoenix broke the kiss, fire and lightening jumping between their bodies, intertwining, creating a contrast of hot and cold. She tucked Ororo's head against her shoulder, and pressed her mouth against her hair. "Shh. It's okay. You'll get used to this." 

"Bring me my friends back."

"Already done."

Ororo froze, and lifted her head from Jean's shoulders. The kitchen island was in perfect shape, just like she remembered, and laughter and yelling filled the hallways. She made a noise of surprise, and the wind increased, blue-white lightening zapped along her arms and up her neck and face. 

"Hey, are you guys coming out for dinner, or do you need a personal invite?" Bobby yelled into the kitchen as he passed the kitchen on his way to the dinning room.

"You might want to get your powers under control, Ororo. The other's will ask questions," she heard the Phoenix's laughter as she spoke, and only now did Ororo notice the lightening that danced all along her body. Without an idea of how to make the sensations stop, of how to stop feeling the pull of gravity from Jupiter or the death of a star millions of light-years away, she turned worried blue eyes towards the Phoenix. She reached out, with her mind, and gently urged Ororo to take a breath, to relax, and showed her at what part of her mind she would be able to turn it on and off again.

And Ororo's eyes brightened, matching the Phoenix's look of delight. She took her hand, finally understand, or at least hoping to understand, how all of that power could drive the Phoenix into madness, into boredom. But for now, everything was like it was before the Phoenix lost her patients, her family was back, and maybe she wouldn't go insane with power. Maybe the Phoenix wouldn't go mad either, they would have each other to challenge and learn from.

And unlike the Phoenix, Ororo wasn't a cosmic force. She was just reaching her full potential. She wasn't centuries old.

Ororo reached for Jean's hand, and led the way towards the dining room. They walked in silence, and Ororo realized that the Phoenix was giving her a moment to get used to her new abilities. Ororo took her seat next to Logan, and Jean moved around the table to sit across from her, between Kitty and Hank.

"Ya alright?" Logan asked her, while handing her a plate of potatoes. 

"I have never felt better."


End file.
